Forging furnace



Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

HENRY H. MERCER, 0F CLARE-MONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR- 'IO SULLIVANMA- CHINERY COMPANY, A CORZPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

rename FURNACE.

Application filed March 17, 1921..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY H. MERCER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Claremont, in the county of Sullivan, and State of NewHampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ForgingFurnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

My invention relates to forging furnaces and more particularly toimproved means for retaining the hearth bricks thereof in properposition.

An object of my invention is to Provide an improved forging furnace.Another object of my invention is to provide an improved means forretaining the hearth or other fire bricks of a forging furnace in properposition, which means shall provide for the expansion and contraction ofthe parts of the furnace at the high temperature variations which occurin the use of furnaces. A further object of my invention is to providean improved means for retaining these bricks in position withoutweakening them by perforations or subjecting them to equal strain andfor holding them firmly irrespective of heating of the furnace. Otherobjects of my invention will appear in the course of the followingspecification and appended claims.

In the illustrative form of my invention, I have shown for purposes ofillustration, one form which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings,-

Fig. 1 is a plan view with parts broken away showing a forging furnaceprovided with my improved mechanism for retaining the hearth bricksthereof in proper position.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of my retaining means, the same being shownin horizontal section.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end view of my retaining means.

For purposes of illustration I have shown my improved mechanism usedwith a forging furnace generally indicated by 1 and comprising asuitable oil atomizing device 2 discharging into a combustion chamber 3which combustion chamber is provided, extending longitudinally along thetop thereof, with a flue 4 for the discharge of products of combustion.This flue is Serial No. 453,105.

formed by series of fire bricks 5 arranged on opposite sides of the flueand limiting the area thereof. The tops of these hearth bricks make up ahearth which is protected against fracture of the bricks by means of asheet metal protecting plate 6. Arranged at the top of the hearth is asecond flue 4 whose lateral boundaries are formed by a series of firebricks 7 7. For the purpose of holding the bricks 5, 5 forming thehearth in position, I employ a metal housing 8 which partially surroundssaid brick. This housing is of iron and according has a relatively highcoefficient of expansion. The coefficient of expansion of the firebricks, however, is relatively very small and accordingly no system ofrigid locking means between the fire bricks 5, 5 and the housing 8 wouldsuffice to retain the fire brick firmly in place when the furnace washeated up without subjecting the brick to danger of breakage uponcooling down of the furnace. I accordingly have provided an improvedbrick retaining means comprising a plate 10 arranged at the end of theseries of fire brick and have secured to the side of the housing 8 aclamping hook 11 which projects through a slot 12 in the corner of thehousing and engages with its point the plate 10. The clamp member 11 isprovided with a rod 14: passing through a guide 13 secured to thehousing member 8 and a spring 14 surrounds the rod 14L and is placedunder com pression by means of a nut 15. It will be obvious that thespring 14 constantly exerts a pull upon the clamping member 11 and sotends to hold the bricks 5, 5 in tight engagement with each other. Uponheating up of the furnace, the housing 8 will naturally expand more thanthe bricks but this does not result in a material loosening of the brickby reason of the fact that the spring 14 always maintains the brickunder pressure. For adjusting the position of the brick relative to theframe of the furnace, I employ a plate 10 similar to the plate 10 andadjustable relative to the housing 8 by a plurality of adjusting screws16. The hook 11 and spring 14: maintain the brick tightly pressedagainst the plate adjusted by the screws 16.

iVhile I have in this application specifically described one form Whichmy invention may assume in practice, it Will be understood that thisform of the same 1s shown for purposes of illustration and that theinvention may be modified and embodied in other forms Without departingfrom its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a furnace, a Wall exposed to combustion products and made up of aseries of fire brick, and means for yieldingly holding them in positioncomprising a plate engaging one end of said series and means forapplying an elastic pressure perpendicularly to said plate at a pointadjacent the center thereof.

2. In a furnace, a Wall exposed to combustion products and made up of aseries of alined fire brick, and means for resiliently holding them inposition including means fo applying a yielding pressure perpendicularlythereto substantially uniformly under all conditions over a large areaof the last brick at one end of the series.

3. In a forging furnace, a hearth comprising a series of fire brick, ahousing therefor, and means for maintaining said fire brick in saidhousing comprising a hook carried by said housing and operative to applypressure to the end of said series of brick, and spring means forplacing said hook under tension.

4. In a forging furnace, a hearth comprising a series of fire brick, ahousing therefor, means for adjusting said brick relative to saidhousing, and means for maintaining said fire brick in said housingcomprising ahook carried by said housing and operative to apply pressureto the end of said series of brick, and spring means for placing saidhook under tension.

5. In a furnace, at Wall exposed to combustion products and made up of aseries of abutting fire brick, and means for yieldingly supporting saidbrick including plates engaging the outer sides of the end bricks of theseries, and means including a slidable member for applying a yieldingpressure in a direction perpendicular to said plates to at least one ofthe latter and at a point opposite said end brick.

6. In a furnace, at Wall exposed to combustion roducts and made up of aseries of abuttlng fire brick, and means for yieldingly supporting saidbrick including plates engaging the outer sides of the end bricks of theseries, and means for applying a yielding pressure in a directionperpendicular to said plates to at least one of the latter including aspring drawn hook slidable in a direction parallel to said firstmentioned direction.

7. In a furnace, a Wall exposed to the products of combustion and madeup of a series of fire brick, and means for yieldingly holding them inposition comprising a plate engaging one end of said series, and meansfor applying an elastic pressure to said plate engaging the latter onlyover a small area remote from every edge thereof.

8. In a furnace, a refractory Wall exposed to the products of combustionand comprising a series of fire brick, a metallic casing therefor, andmeans carried by said casing to hold said bricks in position includingmanually adjustable means constituting a fixed end abutment for one endof said series and means resiliently applying pressure to the other endof said series.

9. In a furnace, a refractory Wall comosed of a series of fire bricks, ametallic casmg theref r, and means including a slidable member carriedand guided by said casing for resiliently applying pressure in aplanelengthwise of said Wall to permit heat expansion therebetiveen.

10. In a furnace, a straight refractory Wall composed of fire brick, ametallic casing therefor, and means acting between said casing and Wallfor directly exerting pressure in a plane perpendicular to the ends ofsaid Wall.

11. In a furnace, a refractory Wall composed of fire bricks and platesengaging the ends therefor, a metallic casing therefor, and means topermit different expansions between said Wall and casing While applyinga substantially equal pressure throughout the length of said Wallcomprising a plurality of respectively rigidly and resilientlyadjustable members engaging said end plates.

12. In a furnace, a Wall exposed to the products of combustion and madeup of a series of fire brick, a metallic casing therefor, and meanscarried by the exterior of said casing and extending into the interiorthereof for resiliently applying pressure to said brick to hold them inposition during relative movement between said Wall and casing onheating them.

13. In a furnace, a Wall exposed to the products of combustion and madeup of a series of fire brick, a metallic casing therefor, and meanscarried by said casing and including a slidable member guided therebyfor resiliently exerting a pull upon one end of said Wall.

14. In a furnace, a refractory Wall exposed to the products ofcombustion and comprising a series of fire brick, a metallic support forthe same, a member slidable on the exterior of said support, and meansacting on said member for applying. a constant pressure to said brickfor holding the latter in position.

15. In a furnace, a refractory Wall exposed to the products ofcombustion and comprising a series of fire brick, a metallic casingenclosing the same, a member slidable on the exterior of said casingincluding a portion extending into the interior of the same, and meansacting on said member for applying a constant pressure to said brick forholding the latter in position.

16. In a furnace, a hearth comprising a series of fire brick, a metallicsupport therefor, and means for maintaining said fire brick in saidhearth comprising a hook carried by said support operative to applypres- 10 sure to the fire brick and means for placing said hook underpressure.

In testimony whereof I afiix m signature.

HENRY H. ERCER.

